Ruritania
Americannoun
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a mythical, romantic kingdom conceived as the setting for a fairy tale, costume drama, comic operetta, or the like.
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Facetious. any small, little-known country or region considered remote, backward, or exotic.
noun
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an imaginary kingdom of central Europe: setting of several novels by English novelist Anthony Hope (1863–1933), esp The Prisoner of Zenda (1894)
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any setting of adventure, romance, and intrigue
Other Word Forms
- Ruritanian adjective
Etymology
Origin of Ruritania
After the fictional Central European kingdom in the novel The Prisoner of Zenda (1894) by A. Hope
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Court followers foil a plot by having a British look-alike pose as the king of Ruritania.
From Los Angeles Times
After all, when a politician says “America First”, or indeed “Ruritania First”, that suggests that the interests of foreign investors are being left far behind.
From Economist
In the course of their repartee, we learn that the cheerful, easygoing Rudolf has red hair, the visible reminder of a great-grandmother’s indiscretion with a member of the royal house of Ruritania.
From Washington Post
Unless you’ve said so, the assumption is that you’re not the princess of Ruritania, or living under witness protection, or struggling with a serious illness.
From New York Times
His ex-wife and son live in a country referred to as Ruritania, the name of a fictional country.
From US News
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
